Vehicle Description
1996 Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR4
The "Three Diamonds", company symbol of Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries, Ltd., originated with the symbol of the ship's flag
which the company's forefather, Tsukumo Shokai, adopted when it
started the shipping business. This symbol is a transformed version
of the family emblem of Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi,
way back in 1884. "Mitsubishi" is a combination of the words mitsu
and hishi. Mitsu means three. Hishi means water chestnut, and
Japanese have used the word for a long time to denote a rhombus or
diamond shape. Japanese often bend the "h" sound to a "b" sound
when it occurs in the middle of a word. Now you know more about the
Logo!
A non-factory collaboration between Mitsubishi and Dodge, this
Stealth/Spyder was a custom fabrication which resulted in a parts
car being hit in the driveway, and now the two cars were put
together and we offer for consignment a one of a kind 1996 Dodge
Stealth R/T Spyder TT with a nifty retractable hardtop.
Mechanically, the Dodge Stealth and Mitsubishi 3000GT are exactly
the same. At the time these cars were sold in the United States
(1991-1996), Dodge and Mitsubishi had a working relationship that
allowed Dodge to sell a rebranded version of the Mitsubishi 3000GT
with slightly altered body panels. After Dodge discontinued the
Stealth in 1996, Mitsubishi continued with the 3000GT in the United
States until 1999. So, while the Mitsubishi 3000GT models included
the Base, SL and VR-4, the Dodge Stealth equivalent was the Base,
ES, RT and RT/TT. The Dodge Stealth RT/TT is the turbo version of
the Stealth, which is mechanically the same as the Mitsubishi
3000GT VR-4. Same engine, same drivetrain, same capability, same
speed. We offer the 290hp Twin Turbo version with retractable
hardtop. Please note this car has a reconstructed title.
Exterior
This car is a white pearl spray wrap giving it the appearance of
the Red Bull/Aston Martin F-1 cars with their "matte" finish, only
this car is in white. Smooth bulbous panels cover the car and gaps
are well minded. A dark screening covers the head and taillights
giving the car a more menacing look. Noted the paint on the top and
bottom of the car are slightly different. All window trimmings are
in black and add a nice contrast to the white body. The highlight
of the exterior is the electric retracting hardtop, which opens the
trunk first, then the top magically goes into that space, and it
finishes off with a finale of the trunk closing on the entire
folded neatly hardtop and rear glass. An amazing feat to watch.
White pearl paint is a little thin in areas below the belt line,
but no rust is showing. Turbine style wheels also in gray matte
finish format, are on all 4 corners. As you will notice the car is
badged as a Dodge Stealth R/T.
Interior
Tan coverings mixes nicely with black accenting on the doors which
have power toggles for the windows. Manual locks are seen. Inside
the passenger compartment a black covered curved design dash fronts
the original steering wheel. The instrument cluster has the
tachometer and speedometer along with numerous warning lights. In
the center is a trio fo molded in dash gauges, A/C and fan controls
with a nifty small screen with graphics to denote where the air is
coming from. Just below is an AM/FM/Cassette player with a 7-slider
equalizer built in. A central console races rearward, presents in
all black, and houses the shifter, top controls, a handbrake and a
power mirror control. Dual leather covered buckets showing wear on
the bolsters flank this center console, and these can be adjusted
with power switches on the sides of the seats. a small 2+2 rear
bench in nice condition is in back, however offers up a small rear
passenger space for any potential extras going along for the ride.
Tan carpet which its fairly clean and stain free covers the
floors.
Drivetrain
A 3.0 V6 Twin Turbo is under the hood and shows clean and mostly
corrosion free. The Turbos remain very strong. A 6-speed manual
transmission is on back. Consigner states the timing chain was
replaced at 96K (showing 123K now).
Undercarriage
Some slight surface rust, extra grease and light oiling are seen
throughout. Floorpans are clean and have a coating of rustproofing.
Also noted are four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, active
aerodynamics, electronically adjustable suspension, four-wheel
anti-lock brakes, and tunable exhaust. Save for ABS, these are all
cutting-edge options today, let alone nearly 30 years ago.
Drive-Ability
I slipped into this car, top down in the warm weather of the day
and fired it up. It started effortlessly, and I roared to the test
track. Here I was treated to dual turbo performance with lightning
quick acceleration, awesome handling, and a comfortable ride even
at cruise speed. Plenty of power at your foot tip, and the
transmission shifted effortlessly, although I had to have the
clutch firmly on the floor to shift without a grind, and it is at
the bitter end of the pedal that the tranny kicks in. All functions
were working swimmingly.
Twin turbos on a 6-cylinder engine, and I would be spending time at
the gas stations with my heavy foot, but I just could not get
enough of the snappy acceleration. The power top is a fascinating
feat of engineering and convenience, and the matte paint in pearl
white grew on me. A solid driver, nicely maintained, and I would
never fear the salvage title, as it was simply due to a driver's
side door that could not be found, so the consigner fabricated one!
Insurance companies...go figure!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.